Notwithstanding the extensive availability of tuition aid plans, only about 5 percent of employees use tuition aid benefits each year. If you wish for binge one of the knowledgeable employees who take advantage of this benefit, inquire at your human resources department to see whether your employer has a tuition aid program. If yes, assemble some basic information about what it pays and under what conditions.
Corporate-Sponsored Education and Training
There are numerous corporations that invest in their people. They offer formal, company-sponsored education and instruction, provide on-the-job training, or partner with higher education institutions to offer specific programs. All undertakings help create an environment that furthers learning, the key to productivity gains in the new economy. Better knowledge and skills among employees can pay off in the long run for employers.
Think about the difference in images. Information is data; knowledge opens new vistas-for employees and employers alike.
The Student Perspective
Students today are entering, through distance education, into a new type of university. With the advent of affordable and accessible college courses offered over the Internet, there are more opportunities than ever to complete a course or a degree program without leaving home.
Student Services
Once you decide to enroll in a distance education program, a number of items are important in making the experience positive and meaningful. The list must include:
• Access: ensure you can access all academic and support areas through email, phone, or fax. You should visit locations in person either seldom or not at all. Some students report that they are drawn to colleges with distance education programs that have few entrance requirements, or those that at least eliminate those entrance requirements aimed at traditional residential students.
• Flexibility in Program Design: The program should be flexible in enabling you to utilize transfer credits; in obtaining college credit for successful outcomes on national examinations such as CLEP, DANTES, and so on. In having workplace training and education assessed for college credit; and in offering a specialization within a degree program designed to build on your educational objectives. Try to find a program that allows you to complete course work through a variety of distance education methodologies rather than relying on one method for the entire degree program, especially at the undergraduate level. Implementation all 40 courses for a baccalaureate degree solely through your PC could be a recipe for burnout.
• Academic Advisor: Inquire as regards whether there is someone available to work with you from start to finish-someone who can answer any questions that arise regarding the course or degree program in a timely manner and who will serve as a positive influence throughout your online education.
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